Route 62 ... before Jazzin' It Up

The fastest way between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town is the N2; it is also a more boring route.  So, we all went the longer, mountainous route.  After leaving Oudtshoorn, we turned onto Route 62.  Route 62 has it all: breath-taking mountain passes, picturesque farms with cultivated plots, 18th century towns.  

I would have loved to have sixty-two days to drive Route 62!  I would stop at each small village church, farm store, scenic outlook, or waterfall.  But, we were in a hurry to get to Cape Town, so we just gaped out the window and kept going.  Here are a few pictures from the places we did stop:

Andrew and Bobby playing
ultimate frisbee at Knysna Head

All of us at a mountaintop pass

What's your hurry?

The reason we were in such a hurry was that we were headed to Cape Town for the International Jazz Festival.  Billed as South Africa’s largest jazz gathering, it was completely sold out Friday night – but we had our tix, and nothing was going to get in our way!  

And, the festival was worth the hurry.  Held half outdoors and half indoors, it was fun to wander from stage to stage.  The most unique performer I saw was a jazz pianist from Cuba, who not only played his grand piano’s keys, but also stood up to pluck its strings, and picked up drum sticks to use on its sides.  (That's thinking outside the box.)  My favorite performer by far was American sax-player Dave Koz; he really knew how to get the crowd moving! 

Our students were especially excited that a local Minneapolis group called Atmosphere was there to perform.  They couldn’t believe that they could tell their friends back in MN that they were in Cape Town, South Africa, watching Atmosphere.   Atmosphere was not my kind of music (it was rap).  I left fairly soon after they started performing, but all of our students were together up in front of the stage (and speakers!), dancing to the music.  

They were having a lot of fun.  I did as well....as soon as I went back to my easy listening jazz.    A beautiful end to a beautiful day.